'The Terminator Conundrum:' VCJCS Selva On Thinking Weapons

Terminator army from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Credit: Warner Bros. WASHINGTON: The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff called today for an international debate about the use of intelligent weapons and of boosted human beings. “Where do we want to cross that line, and who crosses that first,” Gen. Paul Selva, considered one of the brainier occupants of an office that has attracted more than its fair share of top military thinkers, asked about the potential to embed microelectronics in human beings. “When do we want to cross that line as humans. And who wants to cross it first. Those are really hard ethical questions.” The Pentagon is delving deeply into boosted armor, artificial intelligence, micro-sensors and intelligent prosthetics so I asked Selva if the US was ready to…